Caught
by Midoriri
Summary: Loki and Aera had done a good job keeping their relationship hidden. After all, maybe Summon Creature's shouldn't be loving their masters in this way...But secrets have ways of getting out. LokixAera RATING MAY GO UP!
1. Chapter 1

Written per request of nooneimportant (seriously, is that your username

**Written per request of nooneimportant (seriously, is that your username?). And here's a weird question: I've gotten a few reviews saying they want more LokixAera stories (not just from me). So….how come I'm pretty much the only one who writes them? Why don't the ones who want more write some? Sorry about that little rant up there, on with the story.**

Loki woke up before Aera did that morning. He blinked a few times, his eyes adjusting to the sunlight coming in through the window, and glanced off to his side. What he saw made him smile a little bit.

Aera was sleeping there, on her side, facing him, curled up in a little ball. Her head was inclined slightly so that her chin nearly touched her collar. Her hands were pressed together, and pillowed her head, and all in all, she looked almost like a little child. Much younger than the 17 years that she was.

She made a small groan as she shifted somewhat in her sleep, almost waking up, but not quite. Loki's smile widened as he propped himself up on his elbows, watching his master. He had grown as well, and was almost unrecognizable in his new "adult form" as Tatiana liked to call it. Aera however, hadn't changed much, except for height and chest size (by a few centimeters, but who was complaining?). Her hair had grown a few inches in the past two years, but she trimmed it regularly, so that it was only an inch longer. Loki had often wondered why she didn't let her hair grow longer, but she wouldn't answer him.

Loki smirked and inched a fingertip towards her cheek, poking the soft flesh slightly. Aera groaned indignantly, and unconsciously moved one of her hands to swat her cheek, as if her subconscious told her it was caused by a pesky fly, or a mosquito. Then the peaceful expression returned and her hand moved back to its original spot. Loki had to hold back a laugh.

Then he decided that she was sleeping in a little too much for his liking. "Aera…" he whispered slyly as he scooted closer to her, leaning his upper body towards her. "Aera…"

"Mm?" Aera mumbled in her sleep, Loki's voice bringing her closer to waking.

He grinned, moving closer still until he was leaning over her, his undone hair falling over his shoulders to tickle Aera's face. Aera groaned again, her hand brushing the white strands away from her before her eyes opened. "Mm? Loki?" she mumbled.

Loki grinned down at her, lowering himself downward slightly. "Morning…"

"Mm?" Aera blinked sleepily, not full awake. This would explain her lack of blushing at their current position. Loki had moved closer to her, and was now on his hands and knees, his body angled slightly, so that both his knees on one side of her, but his hands were on either side of his master's head.

"Aera…you gotta wake up now," he said, smirking wickedly. "Wake up or else," he added as he leaned down and brushed his lips against her exposed neck.

Aera let out a small squeak of shock, her eyes opening all the way in an instant. "L-Loki!" she protested, blushing faintly. "Can't you wait?"

"Aw…but you looked so cute, I had to kiss you now," he whispered playfully, moving his lips upward to her ear and gently nipping the lobe. "Wouldn't you say this is a great way to wake you up?"

Aera blushed redder and curled into an even tighter ball. "Loki, you can't do that _now!" _she reprimanded him, trying to find a way to maneuver herself out from beneath him, without knocking him over.

"Why not?" he grinned, not moving from where he was.

"Because someone could come down here any minute!" Aera answered, still blushing crimson. "There's no lock on this door, and you know Blaire comes down here for forging, just like Orin. And-agh, Loki!"

Loki had moved down again to kiss her neck, his arms wrapped around her. "I'm not going to go _too_ far," he assured her when she shivered against him, letting out a small moan. "I just want a kiss."

"You aren't giving me 'just a kiss,' Loki," Aera said sternly. The effect it was supposed to have, however, was lost due to her red face. "This isn't 'just a kiss,' it's foreplay!"

Loki sighed, giving Aera a small squeeze before releasing her and getting up. "I told you all I wanted was a kiss," he sulked, climbing out of bed and pulling his hair back. "You just wouldn't give one to me," he added irritably.

Aera sighed as she rose from bed, clad in a thin white night-dress that reached her knees. She came up behind her Guardian Beast, who was no longer the same height as she, and wrapped her arms around him, beneath his arms. "Loki…" she murmured against his bare back, eyes half-shut.

He sighed, relaxing as he felt the warmth of her arms around his chest, feeling her heartbeat against his back.

"Don't get mad, now. It's mostly your fault anyway."

"Wh-_What?_" Loki cried, turning his head to the side. "Hey, why'd you have to ruin this moment, huh?"

Aera giggled, squeezing her arms around him tighter, her eyes closing all the way. "Sorry. But it's true. If you want a kiss, I have to be kissing you too, remember?' she scolded gently.

Loki sighed again, remembering. Ever since the two had defeated Guren and freed Goura's true self, they had been able to spend more time together. And eventually, their relationship exceeded mere friendship. Loki wasn't entirely sure if Guardian Beasts were _allowed_ to care for their masters like this, but at the moment, he didn't care. Neither, apparently, did Aera.

That didn't mean they didn't keep their love a secret.

"So, why didn't you?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest, his cheeks a faint pink color. "You just lay there. Anyone else would think I was molesting you!"

"Loki, you kinda were," Aera deadpanned, shifting her arms. Loki let her turn him around until they were facing each other again, Aera having to tilt her head back slightly to look into the his red eyes. "That's not to say I didn't enjoy that, though," she added, smiling slightly.

Loki smirked, resting his hands on her shoulders. "Well then," he said, leaning down. "Why don't you kiss me back now?"

She smiled again, briefly, before her eyes closed and she puckered her lips a little, waiting. Loki smiled at her, brushing a few strands of hair out of her face before bending to kiss her softly on the mouth. Aera sighed against his lips, lifting her hands to rest on his bare chest as the kiss was deepened. Then Loki surprised her by putting his weight forward so that they both fell back. Aera landed back on the bed, her feet still on the floor, legs bent at the knees. "Mf!"

Loki placed his hands on either side of her as he broke the kiss, pulling back a few centimeters and looking into Aera's eyes. "Aera…"

Aera blushed. "Loki…not…" She turned her head to the side, squinting her eyes shut. "Not now…not just yet…" she whispered.

"Alright," he complied, moving to kiss her cheek. "I can wait…"

She sighed, her eyes opening and shifting so that she looked back up at him. "Loki…"

Before either of them could do anything, however, they heard Orin's voice saying "Hey, you two, aren't you up yet?"

And then the sound of the door banging open.

**To Be Continued**


	2. Chapter 2

No one moved for the longest time. Aera and Loki remained frozen in their position, Orin stood wide-eyed by the door. And no one said anything. Until...

Orin coughed into his fist. "Ah...sorry to interrupt," he said quickly as he turned on his heel and speed-walked out of there.

"Orin!" both human and Summon Creature protested, struggling to get up and out of their compromising position. "It's not what it looks like!" Aera was shouting.

"Well, actually, it is...kinda," Loki muttered, earning a glare from his master.

"Orin!"

The older man stopped mid-way up the stairs, and slowly turned around to see his adopted sister and her Guardian Beast. For a moment, they were silent, just staring. Orin's eyes were still as wide as saucers. Aera and Loki swallowed, small shivers going down their spines. Loki was just pleased that it was Orin, not Blaire, who had caught them like that, but it would have been preferable to not have been caught at all. And he couldn't be sure if Orin could keep this to himself.

"Orin…?" Aera whispered, eyes wide and fearful.

Her "older brother" just stared at them for a moment longer, then turned back around and kept walking.

"Hey! She's talking to you!" Loki called up.

Orin paused at the top of the stairs. "I won't," he said at last.

Both stiffened. "Orin?" Aera called again.

He didn't answer, but kept walking, visibly more relaxed now, as if nothing had happened. Aera and Loki exchanged glances. The _oni _breathed a sigh of relief. "I think we're clear," he whispered, just keeping himself from embracing Aera out of sheer relief.

Aera stared at the spot Orin had been at. "Orin…"

Loki placed a hand on Aera's shoulder. The girl stiffened momentarily, then relaxed under his touch. "Master," Loki murmured, using her title, rather than her name (which he rarely did anymore.). "Master, it's going to be okay…Let's get dressed."

Aera blushed as she realized she was still in her nightie. "Kyah!"

**-oOo-**

Breakfast _seemed_ normal and carefree, but for Aera and Loki, it was pure torture. They ate in silence, heads bowed, eyes rolled upwards to glance between Orin and Blaire. Orin was calmly eating his toast, acting as if there was nothing wrong.

"Aera," Tatiana said, nudging her adopted sister. "What's the matter? You've been pretty quiet today."

"Huh?" Aera's head jerked up. "Oh, it's nothing at all!" she laughed nervously, placing one hand behind her head. "Nothing! Nope, I'm fine!"

Tatiana didn't look too sure. "You seem kinda…fake right now," she accused. "What's wrong?"

Loki shot Aera a glance that was both a warning and fearful. She ignored it.

"I'm fine!" she insisted, laughing. But even to her own ears, her laughter sounded forced.

Blaire's eyes opened a little bit. "Aera," he said, growling slightly. "Is there something getting in the way of your work?"

"No way!" Loki answered for her. "If there was, you know I'd smack her, right?" He winked. (It was true; he would. In fact, when the two were younger, Loki'd said he would do that if Aera had succumbed to Goura's evil spirit. And even afterwards, he'd used the threat of a smack upside the head to get his way sometimes.) "Nothing's in the way at all."

Accepting this answer, Blaire closed his eyes and returned to his meal. Tatiana kept shooting glances to Aera, her mind still uneasy. Her sister sure was glancing over to Orin a lot…

**-oOo-**

"We've got to stop this," Aera muttered, sinking onto the bed, head in her hands. "We've got to, got to stop…" She slowly started to shake her head and massage her temples. Loki was standing in front of her, arms crossed, nervously chewing his lower lip. Or he had been. Aera's comment had startled him into stopping.

"No we don't," he insisted. "We don't need to stop anything, Aera." His tone was reminiscent of a parent telling their child that no, he could not stay up a little later playing with toys, he was going to bed right _now_ and that was final. "We're fine…"

Aera slowly straightened up, lowering her hands. She stared hard at her Guardian Beast, her mouth set in a firm, straight line. "Loki, no. We _need _to stop doing this…" She looked away, blushing slightly. "…doing what we did this morning…"

Loki inwardly sighed in relief. For a few seconds, he'd been scared that Aera was suggesting they call off their relationship. And this was something that, right now, he was hoping would never happen. "Master," he said gently, walking to the bed and sitting next to her. His arm went around her shoulders to draw her closer to his side. Aera leaned into him, her eye closing as she exhaled a deep, shaky breath.

"That was…really scary," she said at last. "I was so scared…"

Loki didn't answer her, only rubbing his thumb back and forth over her hair. They sat there, in their own silence, for what felt like hours but was, in reality, only a few minutes. "We'll be fine," he whispered. "Maybe this is wrong, and maybe it isn't. I don't know. But…I'm not in any mood to stop if it is. Just because of whom we are. Are you?"

She shook her head. "I don't want to lose this," she whispered. "But what if this _is_ wrong? What'll we do?"

"Well, maybe Gabriel'll help us. He's got a whole fortress to himself-"

"Not really."

"Okay, not to _himself_, but still. He's got a whole fortress, we could just crash there or something." Loki's hand moved to Aera's cheek and he rubbed his thumb over the skin. "But we're worrying over nothing. Didn't Orin say he wouldn't tell anyone? We're not going to get caught…Okay?"

Aera didn't say a word to that. She just opened her eyes partway, losing herself in the feeling of Loki's thumb against her skin, the warmth of his arm around her, the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. Neither of them moved, not wanting to lose this moment.

**-oOo-**

Tatiana stood in front of Orin, her hands on her hips, glaring at him. "Okay," she accused, "what did you do to Aera?"

Orin feigned innocence. "I have no idea what you are talking about," he said, tilting his chin up a bit.

"I saw Aera looking at you this morning!" Tatiana insisted. "You had to have done something bad to her! What'd you do? Are you blackmailing her? Did she beat you up and you're mad about it? What?!"

Her older brother stared at her as if she had just coughed up toads and snakes. "Tatiana…where do you get this stuff?"

"I hear a lot of girls talking in the village. The things they say aren't really that far off from what I'm _sure_ you did to Aera!" she growled, pointing her index finger in his face. This was easier for her to do, since she was bit taller than she had been two years ago. She still wore her hair in two swirling buns, but allowed some tendrils of hair to escape and cascade to her shoulders. In fact, she was starting to get as many fans as Orin…

And she didn't care for _any_ of them.

"So spill it! What happened?"

Orin stared at her. "D'you really want to know?" he whispered, leaning down. "It's pretty weird…"

**-oOo-**

_"Aera!"_

_Aera opened her eyes to see Loki leaning over her, a goofy smile plastered on his face. "Hm? Loki, what's up?" she groaned, rubbing her eyes. "I was in the middle of a nap…"_

_Loki's smile grew wider. "I don't want you to sleep, Aera," he teased. He was kneeling at her head, bending over her. The way they were positioned made him look upside-down to her, and vice-versa._

_"And just why not?" Aera humored him, smiling herself. _

_"Because I found this. And I want you to be awake for it," he answered, lifting one of his hands. On the tip of his index finger sat a lady-bug, crawling around in circles like it had nothing better to do._

_Aera's eyes widened. "Ooh, wow…Loki, where'd you find her?"_

_"Just over there somewhere," Loki said, shrugging and using his other hand to gesture somewhere over his shoulder. He gently reached down so that the lady-bug crawled from his finger to Aera's nose. _

_She wrinkled her nose and laughed as the lady-bug crawled around. "It tickles," she giggled. Her eyes rolled upwards to look into Loki's own, to thank him for bringing her the lady-bug (it was rare to find one these days…) but noticed his intense gaze and slight blush._

_Loki was smiling gently at her, his eyes slightly narrowed as his cheeks turned a faint pink. Slowly, he leaned down and brushed his lips against Aera's. She flinched, surprised, but then relaxed and leaned upwards slightly for another kiss. Loki gladly complied. _

**To Be Continued**


	3. Chapter 3

Tatiana stared at Orin with wide eyes, her mouth slightly open. Orin just stood back, arms folded, mouth set in a firm line. For a few seconds, they remained that way. And then Tatiana blushed crimson and sputtered out "Th-That's _not _weird! You tricked me!"

"No, really," said Orin. "They were still asleep. It's weird." His mouth curved into a sly grin as he continued to tease his sister. "Normally, they're awake."

"Orin, that's not a big deal!" Tatiana fumed, stomping her foot childishly. "You sleep in sometimes, too, but you don't act weird about it!" She folded her own arms now, glaring up at Orin. "You're lying."

"No, I'm not."

"Orin!"

"Would you two shut up!?" came Loki's voice. He stood at the bottom of the stairs, holding the door halfway open, glaring up at the two bickering siblings. "I can hear you through the door! Shut up!" Grumbling under his breath, he slammed the door shut.

Tatiana shook her head. "And speaking of acting weird, Loki's been even more of a jerk than usual..."

"What are you talking about?" asked Orin as he began to walk away. Tatiana followed him. "You never complained about him before..."

"That's because he wasn't such a problem before," the younger sibling sighed. "I mean, he was always kind of cocky, but now he's even worse. One time," she added, looking up at the back of Orin's head. "I went downstairs to get them up for dinner, and as I was opening the door, Loki suddenly appeared like _that." _She snapped her fingers for emphasis. "It was like he teleported. And he tried to push the door closed again and started saying that I needed to knock. And he never had a problem with it before." Tatiana shook her head again. "If we was a _girl_ I'd think he had PMS, but Loki's a male."

_Loki's a male..._ Orin repeated the words in his mind. Why did those words seem so disturbing to him?

**-oOo-**

_Clang! Clang! Clang! _Aera struck the metal with her hammer, sending sparks everywhere. Loki stood opposite her, his own hammer crashing down when hers went up. That was how they were taught to do it when they were younger...It always worked.

Aera paused in her work to glance up at her Guardian Beast, her hammer raised in the air. "By the way, Loki," she said. "Do you know what Orin and Tatiana were arguing about?"

"Nope," Loki grunted as the hammer went down. "But they were being so loud about it, I wouldn't be surprised if Master Blaire heard them."

A pause. Aera still hadn't lowered her hammer, so Loki was stuck with his in the air as well. "Do you think...Orin told?" she said, worried.

Loki groaned and slammed his hammer onto the weapon-in-progress (a sword).  
Would you calm down, Aera? Orin promised, right?"

"Well, technically no," Aera pointed out as she finally swung her hammer downward. "All he said was 'I won't' and that could mean anything, right?"

"Aera...you worry too much. And no, it can't mean all sorts of things," Loki said. "It had to mean 'I won't tell.' Plain and simple."

Aera sighed, swinging down her hammer. "I hope you're right..."

"As I said, if things get too bad for us, we can go stay somewhere else. And anyway, we're not the first to-" Loki suddenly stopped, frozen, the hammer held above his head. His eyes widened in what looked like...fear?

Aera slowly lowered her hammer. "Loki?"

"Oh my..." the _oni_ breathed, the hammer slipping from his hands. It fell with a loud _THUD _behind him. His arms didn't lower, but remained in their position, as if he had become a statue.

"Loki?"

As Aera made her way towards him, Loki suddenly fell onto his knees, his arms falling down at his sides. Then he pitched forward.

"Loki!?" Aera cried, rushing toward him. She reached his side and bent down to her knees, at his level. Her hands went to his shoulders, and she could feel him shaking slightly. "Loki, are you okay?"

Loki was bent over, his hands on the floor, supporting his shaking body. His eyes, wide and blank, were fixed on the wooden floor below him. He suddenly swallowed. "My God..." he whispered.

"Loki, what's wrong?" Aera asked fearfully. "Are you sick? What is it?"

"We're not...the first to be like this," Loki whispered. "I just now remembered...there was once a girl and her Guardian Beast, and they fell in love. Just like us."

"Well, what's wrong then?" Aera asked. "I don't see why you're so scared of-"

"No, you don't get it," Loki said, looking up into her eyes. He removed his hands from the floor and straightened up, never taking his eyes away from hers. "I heard about someone else, back home in Silturn..."

Aera sensed that she should be quiet and listen. And that Loki may need some support. She reached for him, her hand resting on his bare shoulder, squeezing gently. "Loki," she said quietly, "Tell me what you know, okay?"

Loki's red eyes stared into her blue ones, and he swallowed, turning away. "It was even the same exact species... she was human, obviously, and he was an _oni. _They were just partners, at first, but over time..." He trailed off, turning back to her. "Bear in mind, this is only what I've heard. No one knows all the details, so I can only tell you the barest bones."

Aera only nodded.

He took a deep breath. "I heard that...they fell in love. And they tried to hide it. Because everyone treated the subject as disgusting, something like bestiality. But somehow, they were found out."

"They had someone to go to for help, right?" Aera said hopefully. Her mouth twitched into a pleading smile. "Like we have our friends...Or did they leave town, or-?"

"Aera," Loki interrupted gently. "They were killed."

**To Be Continued**


End file.
